Hopefuls have been applying to become
extras in Bond 22 when shooting moves to Austria
later this year. MI6 reports from Bregenz and
reveals some film details...

Production Diary (5)20th January 2008

Parts of the 22nd
James Bond film, starring
Daniel Craig in his second outing as 007, will be filmed in Bregenz,
western Austria, on the edge of Lake Constance, confirmed Swiss
production
company Unicorn Media. As MI6
reported back in December, the local
team were looking to recruit 1,500 extras
for opera
scenes
set
on a floating
stage,
a
characteristically glamorous backdrop for the spy franchise.
The extras will form the audience of a special
performance of "Tosca", where technical wizardry
will make them look like the usual 7,000 capacity crowd.

Above: The impressive set for
the production of Tosca on the floating stage in Bregenz,
Austria

Before the doors were flung open Friday 18th
January, hundreds of hopefuls jostled for position outside the
Kornmarkt Theatre in Bregenz, some arriving
as early as 4am to secure their place. Women in evening dress
stepped on each other's high-heel shoes,
whilst men
in
tuxedos
gently
elbowed
each
other
in the ribs for over three hours in the drizzle and cold wind
until the glass doors finally slid open. Although the atmosphere
remained friendly, the stakes were high - a chance
to be seen
in the latest
James
Bond
film.

After completing the first step in their mission
- getting through the theatre door in groups of 5 to 10 people
at a time - hopefuls then had to complete a questionnaire which
quizzed them
on age,
hat
size,
pants size
and hair colour, among other vital statistics. Candidates also
had to confirm whether or not they had any medical conditions,
as filming will take several hours over three days.

Paperwork complete, candidates were then handed
a number on a card and had to pose in front of cameras, but this
was not a glamour shoot as everyone had police-style mug shots
taken. The 20-minute process then concluded with a brief interview
with Unicorn staffer Karin Gmür, who grilled candidates
on their schedule's flexibility - especially if they are from
out
of town or a neighbouring country. A Swiss fan club brought 44
members to the casting, while some other fans hailed from Sweden,
Norway, Belgium and Holland.

Unicorn chief Leonhard Gmür conformed that
applications would be passed on to director Marc
Forster's team in London, which will in turn choose the extras.
Those lucky enough to be selected will earn 60 euros
($88 USD) per day, for a total of three nights. Gmür also
stated that they were looking for a 'mixed' audience, so candidates
such as older gentlemen stood a better chance of being cast.
55% of the attendees were male, compared to 45% female. Those
applying had to be within 18 to 70 years old. The minimum age
limit was in place due to local prohibitions of youths working
through the night - filming is expected to range from 6pm through
to 6am in the morning.

Those who passed through the application steps
will be notified in early April whether or not they will have
a part as an extra. Some of the male hopefuls may be selected
to play one of the police roles required, but that will depend
on the size of their heads. Production will select extras based
on their hat size, to match the police hats in wardrobe.

Potential extras were also asked to bring photographs
of their cars, as the production is looking for approximately
40 vehicles for a scene too. All need not apply though, as the
production is
only looking for cars starting from Mercedes S-class
and up. Unlucky too if you own a Jaguar or Volvo. Gmür stated
that villains in the scenes will be driving Jaguar's (recently,
"Die Another Day" henchman Zao drove a Jaguar
XKR), and James
Bond will arrive in Austria in a Volvo (fear
not car connoisseurs, 007 will still be behind the wheel of his
Aston
Martin DBS from "Casino Royale" in
the rest of the film). The sequence will not be a chase. Ford
owns both Jaguar and Volvo, and it is their third and final
product placement of their
three-picture
deal
which started with 2002's "Die
Another Day".

After the first three hours of casting was complete,
250 people had been processed. Meanwhile, the lines outside
the theatre got longer and longer. Over the three day casting
window, over 4,500 people turned up.

The first unit on Bond 22 will move to Bregenz
for filming between April 29th and May 10th. A contract to shoot
the Tosca performance with the Bregenz Festival is still
under negotiations as the cast of the opera are reportedly
asking for more money.

Gmür said that "in the final film,
the scene
on the floating stage will last a maximum of
five minutes". Local reports indicate that the sequence will
involve 007 interrupting the opera performance by chasing a villain
through the grandstands before moving in to the Bregenz Festival
House. Gmür also confirmed that none of the locations the
production team scouted in Germany will be used in Bond 22, although
a German ship will be filmed on Lake Constance.